What is the best ETF to buy right now?

There are lots of good ETFs to buy in any market environment. In April 2026, the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF looked relatively more attractive than other top ETFs. Its price had underperformed the market over the past year (up about 9% by early April, compared with over 17% for the Vanguard 500 ETF and nearly 25% for the Invesco QQQ Trust). The dividend-focused ETF offers an attractive dividend yield (around 3.3% over the last 12 months) and strong long-term appreciation potential. As its holdings grow, its earnings should support rising dividends for fund investors.

What is the most successful ETF?

The most successful ETF over the last 10 years is the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH). The fund focuses on semiconductor stocks and has delivered an average annualized total return of 33.5% over the past decade. Of note, four of the five best-performing ETFs over the last decade focused on semiconductors.

Are ETFs best for beginners?

ETFs are great for beginners because they take the guesswork out of picking individual stocks. The best ETF for beginners is one focused on the broader market. Top options include the S&P 500-focused Vanguard 500 ETF or the even broader Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF. Both own hundreds of stocks, have low expense ratios, and provide investors instant exposure to a diversified portfolio at a very reasonable cost.

Are ETFs still a good investment?

ETFs can be very good investments. Many ETFs enable you to invest passively in a broader stock market index at a low cost, allowing you to earn market returns. Other ETFs are great options for those seeking passive income from dividend stocks or bonds. ETFs can also help investors earn market-beating returns by investing in a sector or group of stocks growing at above-average rates (like semiconductor or technology stocks).

What ETF pays the highest dividend?

According to data from ETFdb.com, dozens of ETFs offer dividend yields in the double digits as of early 2026. However, many of the ETFs with the highest dividends are very small leveraged ETFs, making them exceptionally risky. Even so, a couple of high-dividend ETFs stand out for yield-seeking investors: the Global X Nasdaq-100 Covered Call ETF (NASDAQ:QYLD) and the JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (NASDAQ:JEPQ). Both used a covered call strategy to generate options income on a well-known market index (Nasdaq-100), enabling them to pay yields of about 10%.

Are ETFs safer than stocks?

Some ETFs are safer than stocks. For example, a broad market ETF like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF or the Vanguard Total Market ETF holds 500 or more stocks. That provides investors with a lot more diversification than they'd typically have in a portfolio of stocks they selected. Meanwhile, some ETFs invest in lower-risk assets, such as bonds or dividend-paying stocks. However, some ETFs are riskier than stocks. For example, a leveraged ETF can be very volatile. And some ETFs invest in riskier assets, such as commodities (oil and natural gas), via futures contracts, which are costly to manage and can affect the fund's long-term returns.

What’s the difference between ETFs and mutual funds?

The main difference between ETFs and mutual funds is that ETFs trade like stocks. You can buy and sell them through your regular brokerage account with no minimum investment. Many mutual funds require that you purchase them directly from the sponsor or through a financial advisor. Many mutual funds also have an investment minimum, which can top $1,000.

7 Best ETFs to Buy in April 2026

Exchange-traded funds tend to be less volatile than individual stocks and provide exposure to a broad range of opportunities.

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Apr 1, 2026 at 2:39 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

ETFs offer a lower-risk alternative to individual stocks by providing broad market exposure.
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has ultra-low costs and a large, diversified asset base.
Investing in ETFs like Vanguard Total Stock Market or iShares Core MSCI Total International offers even greater diversification.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investment vehicles that trade like a stock but give investors ownership of a broad range of stocks or other assets. ETFs offer investors an appealing alternative to owning individual stocks. They can also be great complements to an investor's stock portfolio.

Loading paragraph...

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)

An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, allows investors to buy many stocks or bonds at once.

There are all kinds of ETFs available. Some track major indexes, such as the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq Composite. Others give investors exposure to specific regions, such as China or emerging markets. And some ETFs concentrate on certain sectors, such as technology or banking, or specific types of stocks, like dividend or growth stocks.

Loading paragraph...

An infographic outlining three reasons to consider investing in ETFs. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

Loading image...

Loading paragraph...

Data source: ETF.com. Data as of April 1, 2026.

Loading table...

Loading paragraph...

NYSEMKT: VOO

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Today's Change

(0.11%) $0.69

Current Price

$602.99

Key Data Points

Day's Range

$593.03 - $604.79

52wk Range

$442.80 - $641.81

Volume

13M

Loading company_card...

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: QQQ

Invesco QQQ Trust

Today's Change

(0.11%) $0.67

Current Price

$584.98

Key Data Points

Day's Range

$571.92 - $586.05

52wk Range

$402.39 - $637.01

Volume

51M

Avg Vol

66M

Dividend Yield

0.48%

Loading company_card...

If you're looking to gain exposure to big tech stocks, Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ +0.11%) is an excellent choice. The ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100 index, which includes 100 of the Nasdaq's largest nonfinancial companies.

The top stocks in the ETF are Nvidia (NVDA +0.87%), Apple (AAPL +0.11%), Microsoft (MSFT +1.01%), Broadcom (AVGO +0.29%), and Amazon (AMZN -0.41%). As one of the best-performing ETFs, it boasts an affordable expense ratio of 0.18%.

As of April 2026, the Invesco QQQ Trust had generated a total return of around 538% over the past decade. A $10,000 investment made in this ETF 10 years ago would be worth more than $63,770 today.

The Nasdaq-100's focus on innovative technology companies positions it to continue delivering strong total returns, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates growth in the tech sector in the coming years.

Loading paragraph...

3. Vanguard Growth ETF

Loading paragraph...

NYSEMKT: VUG

Vanguard Growth ETF

Today's Change

(0.07%) $0.33

Current Price

$441.89

Key Data Points

Day's Range

$432.00 - $442.79

52wk Range

$316.14 - $505.38

Volume

51K

Loading company_card...

If you want to invest in growth stocks but don't want to be an active stock picker, the Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG +0.11%) makes that easy. The ETF holds large-cap growth stocks and tracks the CRSP U.S. Large Cap Growth Index.

Like Invesco QQQ Trust and Vanguard S&P 500, the Vanguard Growth ETF's biggest holdings are Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft. The growth-focused ETF also held many other growth stocks among the roughly 150 companies in the fund as of April 2026. The Vanguard Growth ETF offers a rock-bottom expense ratio of just 0.03%. Its low cost makes it a good deal for anyone looking for a growth stock ETF.

4. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF

Loading paragraph...

NYSEMKT: IJR

iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF

Today's Change

(0.38%) $0.48

Current Price

$125.40

Key Data Points

Day's Range

$122.90 - $126.19

52wk Range

$89.22 - $133.52

Volume

327K

Loading company_card...

Loading paragraph...

NYSEMKT: SCHD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

Today's Change

(0.16%) $0.05

Current Price

$30.56

Key Data Points

Day's Range

$30.38 - $30.64

52wk Range

$23.87 - $31.95

Volume

21M

Loading company_card...

Dividend stocks are great long-term investments. Over the last 50 years, dividend-paying companies outperformed nondividend payers by more than 2-to-1 (9.2% average annual total return versus 4.3% for nondividend payers). The best performance came from dividend growers and initiators (10.2% versus 6.8% for companies with no change in their dividend policy).

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD +0.16%) provides exposure to high-yielding U.S. stocks with a history of growing their dividends per share. It tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100, which measures the performance of 100 top dividend stocks based on several quality characteristics. Among its 10 largest holdings in early 2026 were notable dividend payers PepsiCo (PEP +1.47%) and Chevron (CVX +0.69%).

The ETF offers a relatively attractive dividend yield. As of April 2026, it had a trailing-12-month yield of 3.3%, nearly triple the 1.2% dividend yield of an S&P 500 index fund. And thanks to its low expense ratio of 0.06%, investors keep more of the ETF's dividend income. The fund should also deliver price appreciation as the underlying companies grow their earnings and dividends.

Loading paragraph...

6. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

Loading paragraph...

NYSEMKT: VTI

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

Today's Change

(0.14%) $0.47

Current Price

$323.71

Key Data Points

Day's Range

$318.32 - $324.80

52wk Range

$236.42 - $344.42

Volume

66K

Loading company_card...

Although the S&P 500 is considered a broad-market index, it gives you exposure to only 500 large-cap U.S. stocks. If you want to own all the stocks in the U.S. market, the best way to do it is through a total stock market fund such as the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI +0.16%).

As of April 2026, the fund held more than 3,500 companies, including large-, mid-, and small-cap stocks. Because its holdings encompass the S&P 500, its largest positions are the same as for the broad market index.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF aims to track the CRSP U.S. Total Stock Market index. Like other Vanguard funds, its low 0.03% expense ratio makes it an affordable way to invest in the entire U.S. stock market through a single ETF.

7. iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: IXUS

iShares Trust - iShares Core Msci Total International Stock ETF

Today's Change

(-0.59%) $-0.52

Current Price

$87.09

Key Data Points

Day's Range

$85.49 - $87.45

52wk Range

$61.75 - $94.61

Volume

1.8M

Loading company_card...

Loading paragraph...

Buying the best ETFs: FAQ

Loading faq...

About the Author

Matt DiLallo has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst specializing in covering dividend-paying companies, particularly in the energy and REIT sectors, since 2012. He also covers pre-IPO companies, ETFs, and other investing topics. He holds an MBA from Liberty University.

TMFmd19

@MatthewDiLallo

Matt DiLallo has positions in Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Chevron, Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF, and Verizon Communications and has the following options: short May 2026 $280 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Apple, Chevron, Microsoft, Nvidia, Vanguard Growth ETF, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, and iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

7 Best ETFs to Buy in April 2026

Exchange-traded funds tend to be less volatile than individual stocks and provide exposure to a broad range of opportunities.

Key Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

3. Vanguard Growth ETF

Key Data Points

4. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

6. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

Key Data Points

7. iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF

Key Data Points

Related investing topics

Best ETFs for Beginners and How to Invest

The Best (and Only) Dow Jones ETF to Consider in 2026

Best Russell 2000 ETFs to Buy in 2026

6 Best Vanguard ETFs to Buy in 2026

Buying the best ETFs: FAQ

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Premium Investing Services

Best ETFs for Beginners and How to Invest

The Best (and Only) Dow Jones ETF to Consider in 2026

Best Russell 2000 ETFs to Buy in 2026

6 Best Vanguard ETFs to Buy in 2026

Key Data Points

Buying the best ETFs: FAQ

What is the best ETF to buy right now?

What is the most successful ETF?

Are ETFs best for beginners?

Are ETFs still a good investment?

What ETF pays the highest dividend?

Are ETFs safer than stocks?

What’s the difference between ETFs and mutual funds?

Top seven ETFs to buy now

1. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

3. Vanguard Growth ETF

6. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

How to choose an ETF

Should you invest in ETFs?

Related investing topics

FAQ

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

2. Invesco QQQ Trust

4. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF

5. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

7. iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF

Tax considerations for ETFs

Types of ETFs